Barack Obama Pens Tribute to 'Iconic' American Folk Band The Grateful Dead

With one gig at Chicago's Soldier Field standing in the way of the Grateful Dead's final "Fare Thee Well" show, long-time Chicagoan and President Barack Obama decided to honor the lengthy careers of the Dead by penning a letter to the celebrated and well-followed jam band.

Congratulating the Bay Area group on their 50th anniversary, the president shows his history with the American folk rock group--he invited them to perform at one of his ten inaugural balls in January of 2009, notes Rolling Stone. "Here's to fifty years of the Grateful Dead, an iconic American band that embodies the creativity, passion and ability to bring people together that makes American music so great," Obama wrote. "Enjoy this weekend's celebration of your fans and legacy. And as Jerry [Garcia] would say, 'Let there be songs to fill the air,'" a reference to American Beauty's "Ripple."

The message, along with a snapshot of the "core four," Bob Weir, Bill Kreutzmann, Mickey Hart and Phil Lesh and their families in the Oval Office, adorned the cover of Friday's Fare Thee Well program, notes Relix. In February of 2008, Weir, Hart and Lesh reunited for a performance for th first time in four years for a Super Tuesday campaign event, "Deadheads for Obama." October 2008 gathered the group, this time with Kruetzmann, to perform at an Obama rally in Pennsylvania. The Dead will wrap up their three-night gig at in Chicago Sunday night with Phish's Trey Anastasio attempting to fill the void of Jerry Garcia and Bruce Hornsby on keyboard.

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Barack Obama, Grateful Dead, Jerry Garcia